[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66655-66656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27747]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-4737-N-08]
Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment:
Data Collection Techniques for Identifying the Housing Subsidy Status
of Survey Respondents
AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department
is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.
DATES: Comment Due Date: December 31, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB
Control Number and should be sent to: Reports Liaison Officer, Office
of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban
Development, 451 7th Street, Room 8228, SW., Washington, DC 20410.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harold R. Holzman, Program Evaluation
Division, Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of
Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 8140,
Washington, DC 20410, telephone 202-708-3700, extension 5709. This is
not a toll-free number. E-mail: [email protected]. Copies of
the proposed forms and other available documents may be obtained from
Harold Holzman.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will submit the proposed
information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended).
This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and
affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to:
(1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper
[[Page 66656]]
performance of functions to the agency, including if the information
will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3)
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who respond, including through the use of appropriate automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology that
will reduce respondent burden (e.g., permitting electronic submission
of responses).
This notice also provides the following information:
Title of Proposal: Data Collection Techniques for Identifying the
Housing Subsidy Status of Survey Respondents.
Description of the Need for Information and Proposed Use: The
Department is conducting under contract a study to develop techniques
to more accurately identify respondents' housing subsidy status in the
American Housing Survey (AHS). The AHS provides information about the
Nation's housing needs, with emphasis on the condition of the housing
of low income households, as required by the Housing and Urban/Rural
Recovery Act of 1983. The AHS data are also the basis of an annual
report on housing quality that Congress requires of the President.
Further, AHS data allow the Department to evaluate the housing needs of
low-income families.
Accuracy of the results has been an issue in past versions of the
AHS. Specifically, a substantial proportion of respondents misidentify
their housing subsidy status in the survey. This threatens the accuracy
of information that is reported to Congress, and it also can lead the
Department to provide inadequate amounts of housing assistance to low-
income families.
Some housing subsidy misidentifications in the AHS involve a `false
positive' pattern: individuals who do not receive a housing subsidy
based on program records indicate that they do receive a subsidy in the
AHS. The present investigation is an attempt to determine whether
alternative survey questions would reduce the number of false positives
in the AHS.
To identify false positives, it is necessary to first identify
individuals who believe themselves in receipt of a housing subsidy,
then use program records to determine whether they are actually
receiving a subsidy. In the present study, screening interviews matched
with program records will be used to identify individuals who fit the
false positive pattern. Alternative questions designed to more
effectively identify false positives will be tested in a second
interview with a sample of such individuals.
Members of the Affected Public: (1) Randomly selected individuals
will participate in screening interviews; and (2) a subset of the
randomly selected individuals will participate in a second interview.
Estimation of the Total Number of Hours Needed With Those Surveyed
to Conduct the Information Collection, Including Number of Respondents,
Frequency of Response, and Hours of Response: The researchers will
complete screening interviews with 800 individuals. The individuals
will be interviewed by telephone, in their homes, or in another place
that is convenient for them. The screening interviews will involve
questions about housing subsidies, to identify individuals who believe
themselves in receipt of a subsidy. Fifteen individuals who believe
themselves in receipt of a subsidy but who are not according to program
records will participate in a second interview. This second interview
will test alternative questions designed to more accurately identify
individuals' housing subsidy status.
Estimation of the Total Number of Hours Needed With Those Surveyed
to Conduct the Information Collection, Including Number of Respondents,
Frequency of Response, and Hours of Response:
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Number of Number of Minutes per Total burden
Types of respondents respondents responses respondent hours
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Randomly selected individuals................... 800 1 5 67
Low-income individuals who incorrectly believe 15 1 60 15
that they are receiving a housing subsidy......
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Total....................................... 815 .............. .............. 82
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Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Pending OMB for
approval.
Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.
Dated: October 23, 2002.
Harold L. Bunce,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs.
[FR Doc. 02-27747 Filed 10-31-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-62-M